'Sierra Leone' settlers flee homes for fear of eviction

Richard Memba feeds his child by the roadside after the family was kicked out of their Mau Forest home at the weekend. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

People residing in the Sierra Leone settlement in the Maasai Mau Forest have started fleeing their homes, fearing eviction.

The more than 7,000 settlers who started moving out on Monday are also rushing to harvest crops from their farms.

According to a report by the Kenya Water Towers Agency, when the verification of Mau Forest inhabitants was carried out in 2009, only 430 settlers in the Sierra Leone section were found to have genuine title deeds.

The area got its name after soldiers returning from a UN peacekeeping mission in the West African country bought about 9,000 acres of land from a Narok family in 2002.

Yesterday, many settlers were seen packing their belongings and loading them onto lorries, tractors and donkey carts.

Caught flat-footed

"We don't want to be caught flat-footed like in the previous evictions," said Kipteigok Ruto, adding that he had bought a seven-acre piece of land in the area in 2003.

MrRuto said most people had already left, fearing that security agents would descend on the area after clearing other settlements inside the forest.

"We cannot be comfortable when we are the only people in the forest. There are rumours the final onslaught of securing the forest will be in Sierra Leone," he said.

Environmental conservation groups have warned it will be difficult for security personnel to effectively police the forest if the settlement is left standing.

"The settlement should be removed and all routes sealed to secure it," said Jackson Kamoe, the chairman of Mau Conservation Trust.

In 2005, the Government placed a caveat on all title deeds that were issued to the forest land claimants, claiming they were irregularly issued by Lands ministry.

Security agents

County Commissioner George Natembeya said the exercise to secure the section of the Mau Complex was on course and denied reports that security agents were using force to kick out settlers.

"About 90 per cent has been secured. All settlers moved out voluntarily. Some went back and burnt their former houses to claim that force was being applied," Mr Natembeya said.